Norfolk Southern railroad police, the Spartanburg County coroner and Upstate law enforcement officers are working to prevent another tragedy on the tracks.

Last year, Spartanburg and Cherokee counties each had one railroad-related death. Ten people died while trespassing on the tracks across South Carolina.

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"To walk along the rail, you're taking your life in your hands. You really are," said Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger.

This week, Norfolk Southern railroad police passed out more than 1,700 pieces of material that describe the dangers of trespassing on railroad tracks. The officers visited schools, businesses and rescue missions.

"Although it's illegal to be on railroad property that doesn't necessarily mean that everybody knows that," said Gary Hedgepath, of the Norfolk Southern Police Department. "When trains approach they can come from any direction. A 100-car freight train running 50 to 60 miles-per-hour may take a mile to stop. They can't swerve."

Clevenger said Spartanburg County is ahead of the rest of the counties in South Carolina in the number of railroad fatalities. He's concerned that warmer weather will bring out more pedestrians who might try to walk along or cross railroad tracks.

"We're just asking the public's help now that more people are going to be out and people are going to be a lot busier, to take the time just to watch and make sure that the rail crossings are clear and that they're not trying to beat a train," Clevenger said.

Officers with Norfolk Southern railroad police took WYFF News 4 along for a patrol of the tracks.

One officer said he's seeing more and more children walking on the tracks while wearing ear buds to listen to music.

Another officer said a lot of people will cross the tracks to avoid walking to a crossing. He said some people will cross between the cars of a stopped train, which is dangerous because the train could move at any time.

"It's not a safe place to be, plus it's illegal," said Bruce Haynes, of the Norfolk Southern Railroad Police Department.